Tri-Cities gets high obesity rank

Washington’s Tri-Cities’ top-10 finish in a recent national health poll isn’t one that residents will want to puff up their chests about.

On Wednesday, the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index ranked the Tri-Cities as the No. 9 most obese metro area in the United States. Results are based on phone interviews Gallup and Healthways staged last year with more than 350,000 adults.

Participants reported their height and weight. Those figures were used to calculate body mass index (BMI) — an assessment of an individual’s weight and health risk.

Scores of 30 and higher are considered obese. Tri-Citians averaged a 33.2 BMI. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue averaged 23.